Soon after a casual relationship, Emma discovers that she has contracted genital herpes, a condition she had scarcely known to exist. Her father, Ernest, and new boyfriend, Sam, will soon join her in a struggle to cope with one of the forgotten diseases of our day. And while each will choose a different solution—one, counselling; another, medicine; the last, the law—all three will learn that their path to recovery is far from assured.
Moved by the pain he has witnessed amongst herpes sufferers and the people close to them, R. G. Clarke has crafted a novel about the heroic fight that millions of people wage every day, not just against a disease but also against the stigma that society willingly attaches to it. With a hint of mystery and the slightest dash of a thriller, Stigma will entertain as well as inform.